CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
In English communication, students have to know the grammar and structure. If the students made sentences ungrammatical in English, the students usually do error. Richards (in Alan Davies, Catherine Elder 1974:401) states “the analysis of the kind of errors made by language learners with a view to devise appropriate remedial measures – although, the technique itself, in its modified versions, long survived interest in the approach.”
English Education Department of Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta has writing subject. Actually there are four writing classes in Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta, but the writer only chooses the Writing I. In writing sentences or texts, the students usually made many mistakes or errors. It happened because many factors, perhaps the students do not know the English grammar in writing. Particularly in their mid-term test in Writing I, the students of first semester made many ungrammatical sentences or text. For example is taken from one of the students’ mid-term test as follows:
“I have a new shoes. It is very beautiful shoes.”
There are two errors here made by the student. In this sentence, there are an addition and a misformation error. In addition error, the student adds an article “a” before the word “new”. Although, in that sentence the word “shoes” is in plural form so it does not need an article “a”. And in misformation error, that is, alternating forms. It is not a good English grammar because “it” indicates singular meanwhile “shoes” indicates plural.
The correct structure of the sentence should be as follows: “I have new shoes. They are very beautiful shoes.”
The student thought that “shoes” is a pair so the student uses an article “a” and the word “it” and also an auxiliary “is” to show that “shoes” is singular, although it is plural. The student only uses Indonesian language to translate “shoes”. In Indonesia, the word “shoes” is singular not plural. And in English language, it is plural. Other examples in English language, there are glasses, scissor, etc. So the student does not understand English language. Another example in one of the students’ mid-term test as follows:
“And now in Solo he live with me.”
The correct structure of the sentence should be as follows: “And now in Solo he lives with me.”
In this sentence, the student seems to translate the word “live” from Indonesian language to English language. Therefore, the error here is omission which is occurred because the direct translation of Indonesian language to English language. In Indonesian language, there is no rule that the second person pronoun must be followed “-s or -es”. And in English language rule, after second person pronoun must be followed by “-s or -es”. So, the student does not understand the English rules.
First Semester Students of English Education Department in Muhammadiyah
University of Surakarta in 2011/2012 Academic Year
B. Previous Study
The first previous study related to this research was conducted by Taufanati (UMS, 2007) entitled Error Analysis on Learning Tenses in Transforming Direct into Direct Speech by the Second Year Student of SMKN 1
Boyolali 2007. She analyzed the types of direct-indirect speech errors on the
students which included addition, miss ordering, and miss formation. And the sources of direct-indirect speech errors done by the students were interlingual transfer and intralingual transfer.
The second study was conducted by Rohmah (UMS, 2009) which her research entitled A Spelling Error Analysis on Composition Written by the Eleventh Year Students of SMA Muhammadiyah 09 Sambirejo Sragen. She
analyzed the spelling error as the object. She used descriptive method and described the types of error and analyzed them by surface strategy taxonomy. The errors are classified based on the types of errors.
C. Limitation of the Study
This research focuses on the 28 students’ writing result of their mid-term test. The students come from the first semester students of English Education Department in 2011/2012 academic year. In analyzing them, the writer uses James’s theory, (1998:106-111) “There are four further subtypes, yielding eight in all. The writer shall discuss these, and concludes that viable taxonomy can operate with four of their categories. There are omission, addition, misformation, and misordering.”
D. Problem Statement
Based on the limitation study above, the writer formulates the research problems as the following.
1. What kinds of error in grammar in First Semester Writing Class of English Education Department in Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta in
2011/2012 Academic Year? and
2. What are the problems in the error in grammar in First Semester Writing Class of English Education Department in Muhammadiyah University of
Surakarta in 2011/2012 Academic Year?
E. Objective of the Study
Based on the research problems, the writer has the following objectives.
2. Describing the problem in the errors in grammar in First Semester Writing class in Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta in 2011/2012 Academic
Year.
F. Benefit of the Study
In conducting the research, the writer hopes it brings view benefits, namely: 1. Theoretical Benefit:
Based on the theoretical benefit, the writer has the following benefit:
a. Developing the theory of error analysis in First Semester Writing class in Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta in 2011/2012 Academic Year.
b. Implementing the theory of error analysis in First Semester Writing class in Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta in 2011/2012 Academic Year.
2. Practical Benefit:
Based on the theoretical benefit, the writer proposes the following benefit: a. The reader can broaden the knowledge about grammar.
b. Other researchers can give more elaboration on the error in first semester writing class in Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta.
G. Research Paper Organization
Chapter I is introduction. The chapter presents background of the Study, previous study, limitation of the study, problem statement, objective of the study, benefit of the study, and research paper organization.
Chapter II is underlying theory. It deals with notion of linguistics, notion of grammar, notion of error analysis, differences between error and mistake, and notion of writing.
Chapter III is research method that consists of type of research, object of research, data and data source, method of collecting data, method of analyzing data.
Chapter IV is research finding it elaborates the results of the research and discussion.
